Today in Comics History, May 7, 1937: Bizarre cosmic anomaly causes man's hair to go cartoonishly red

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #22 (DC, August 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, May 6, 1937: "So, what would you say if I told you that your mother made a phony bomb threat just to get a free ride on a blimp?"

Somebody asked me, "Hey Bully, are you gonna do a Today in Comics History about that big blimp from the 1930s?" And I said, "I already did a post about Orson Welles!"


Okay, okay! Today in Comics History, May 6: Born on this date: Tom Raymond, the Golden Age Human Torch's sidekick Toro!

Oh, and a big balloon blew up.


from The Torch #1 (Marvel, November 2009), co-plot by Alex Ross, co-plot and script by Mike Carey, pencils and inks by Patrick Berkenkotter, colors by Carlos Lopez, letters by Todd Klein
It's the Hindenburg! Yes, a tragic moment in aeronautics for the humanity, but on the other hand, it was a Nazi airship.


from "News Snapshots - Past and Present" in It Really Happened #10 (Pines, August 1947), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, April 7, 1937: Giant doughnut encroaches ever closer to Earth

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #22 (DC, August 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, March 7: Doc Savage discovers the world's most boring strip cartoon

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #22 (DC, August 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, November 12, 1901: "Oh, don't bother, we saw it in the Annual in that previous post."

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #22 (DC, August 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, November 12, 1901: Doc Savage's first successful escape

from Doc Savage Annual #1 (DC, January 1989), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Gabriel Morrissette, inks by Rick Magyar, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bob Pinaha

Today in Comics History, August 27, 1966: Sean Connery warned Doc Savage Jr. to wear his earmuffs

Today is the anniversary of the day that Doc Savage's son went to a famous concert at Shea Stadium:


from Doc Savage (1987 miniseries) #2 (DC, December 1987), script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks and letters by Adam Kubert, colors by Petra Kubert Scotese
You have no taste, Son of Man of Bronze!

Today in Comics History, June 30, 1908: In Soviet Russia, Earth hits meteor!

from "Solar System Sizes" in Strange Adventures (1950 series) #69 (DC, June 1956), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1937: Wolverine gets ready for World War II

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #19 (DC, May 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, February 7, 1942: Rocketeer battles hipster internet humorists

from "TKO" in Rocketeer Adventures (2011 series) #2 (IDW, July 2011), script by Lowell Francis, pencils and inks by Gene Ha, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Chris Mowry
Actually, he's on a mission from Doc Savage! Keep 'em flying, Cliff!

Today in Comics History, January 20: Happy birthday, George Burns!

Born on this day in 1896: Comedian, actor, and star of vaudeville, radio, television and movies: George Burns! He was God, you know. But did you know he assisted Doc Savage on one of his most dangerous cases? Actually, it was actually wife Gracie who saved the day when she flew up in her rocket-assisted flying suit to deliver the bomb that blew up John Sunlight's Deadly Dirgible. Now you know...the rest of the story!


cover of Doc Savage Comics v.2 #2/14 (Street and Smith, April 1943), artist unknown
Hey, can you spot George Burns in the crowd at this comedy club among a deluge of great comedians (and a few bad ones)? Remember: you ain't nobody 'til Mort Drucker draws you!

"New Twists on Old Jokes" in MAD #314 (October 1992); script by Dennis Snee, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
(Click top picture to Louis Anderson-size)
Ya did? So fast? Well, pfui on you! Try your peepers on this one: find George Burns on this cover!



from MAD #39 (May 1958), painting by C. C. Beall Jr.
Happy 126th birthday, George! Now say goodnight, Gracie.


from "Do the Copyright Thing" in Simpsons Comics #90 (Bongo, January 2004), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Phyllis Novin, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

365 Days of Defiance, Day 262: World War Batman (also: Today in Comics History, September 19, 1944)

Earth-2 Batman...stalking Nazis! This can only mean one thing...it must be a Roy Thomas story!


from The Brave and the Bold (1955 series) #167 (DC, October 1980), pencils by Dave Cockrum, inks by Dan Adkins, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ben Oda, and script by...


Oh. Maybe not.

You can tell it's Earth-2 Batman because he doesn't have a yellow circle around his chest emblem. And that the cars are from the 1940s. And that his parents died after the 1920 Douglas Fairbanks version of Zorro, not 1972's The Erotic Adventures of Zorro.


Meanwhile also minutes later...the Blackhawks! Hey, it's a Mark Evanier script! Oh wait, it isn't.


But what was the Nazi's evil plan?


OH NO THEY BLEW UP DOC SAVAGE

Today in Comics History, June 19, 1930: Doc Savage cracks wise for the Street and Smith fanboys

from Doc Savage Annual 2014 (Dynamite, May 2014), script by Shannon Eric Denton, pencils and inks by Roberto Castro, colors by Inlight Studios, letters by Rob Steen

At 13th Dimension: "Thirteen Days a Week: A Beatles Comics Countdown" III!

All this week on 13th Dimension, it's Beatles Week! Human pal John (who I time-share my iMac with) has written about some of the greatest Beatles appearances in comic books—thirteen in all! Tonight, installment number three, counting down from 7 to 5 and starring Chronos, The Bee Gees with Peter Frampton (marginally, at least), and Jimmy Olsen!

I keep makin' suggestions, but John never include the Beatles moments in comic books that I suggest. Moments like the time Doc Savage's son went to the famous concert at Shea Stadium:


from Doc Savage (1987 miniseries) #2 (DC, December 1987), script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks and letters by Adam Kubert, colors by Petra Kubert Scotese
You have no taste, Son of Man of Bronze!

Once again, that's Beatles Week at 13th Dimension! Head there, and while you're over there, wish 13th Dimension editor Dan Greenfield a Happy Birthday! They say it's his birthday! We're gonna have a good time!

Today in Comics History: July 12, 1936: Jimmy Carter and Manuel Noriega become time travelers, apparently

from Doc Savage Annual #1 (DC, January 1989), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Gabriel Morrissette, inks by Rick Magyar, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bob Pinaha

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 186: Have no fear, the Man of Bronze is here

House ad for Doc Savage (1988 series) #1 (November 1988); printed in Detective Comics #591 (October 1988)
Ad art: pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano

One of several shots by DC at the Doc Savage license, although this one has a slightly different approach (to begin with, at least). This is the "Doc and Son" series of adventures based in the current day and set up in the 1987 4-issue miniseries.

While it's not a patch on the gorgeous Doc Savage paperback cover art by James Bama, here's the lovely painted cover to Doc #1 by Eric Peterson:


Cover of Doc Savage (1988 series) #1 (November 1988), painted cover by Eric Peterson

Today in Comics History, June 19, 1933: A floaty pool toy arrives for the Loch Ness Monster

from Doc Savage (1975 magazine series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

Today in Comics History, June 18, 1933: The Empire State Building is temporarily moved south of Chambers Street

from Doc Savage (1975 black-and-white series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

Today in Comics History, June 17, 1933: Up on the rooftop the Johnnie Walker scotch guy pauses

from Doc Savage (1975 black-and-white series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

Today in Comics History, June 17, 1933: Juan Valdez and pals are wiped out by the bloodthirsty Starbucks Family

from Doc Savage (1975 black-and-white series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe